Yesterday a friend sent me an invite to the “paint your toenails pink” event happening on Sunday. I usually paint my toes, and while pink isn’t my usual color, I accepted. Why? I know some who say, “putting cartoons in support of children of abuse, or painting nails etc, doesn’t cure anything”..They are exactly right. But it does show empathy and support. And for those who have catastrophic illnesses or chronic illnesses, the fact that anyone who would show support and solidarity even in a small gesture, for a total stranger can sometimes make a rough day a little brighter. and who isn’t for positivity right? But one comment made on the page made me sit up and wonder about things. The person commented:”you know you just invited a lesbian to this event”. My comment was “why the comment about sexuality had anything to with the event”..it was poor attempt at humor they said. Ummm..yeah..extremely poor attempt. I mean seriously..she is a woman, and has to know that the majority of cases of breast cancer are women, so who cares about her sexuality? The reason I feel this way is all the hang ups about sexuality. Too often people want to cling to a christian perspective and hit people over the head with the “IT’S AN ABOMINATION” verses. This from people, some of them who would rarely darken a church door except on holidays. It’s that way here in Mississippi…The holier than thous are alive and well. Just last year a girl in a school down the road was banned from attending prom with her girlfriend…She sued and won..The school district violated her civil rights in how she was treated. Still people spewed their rhetoric. Schools here have no clear separation of church and state. Many classes start the day with prayer, (have no issue with that if one is allowed to do so privately in the manner that they wish), teachers speak their personal religious beliefs openly(have no issue with that either unless they are trying to convert some impressionable child)..and invite kids to happenings at their personal place of worship. It is assumed that people are christian, and straight. Too often when it is found that someone is gay, they are harassed and bullied by others and the adults in charge look the other way because they too feel it is wrong. It is wrong to deny any other human being the right to live as they choose, to worship as they feel. And it’s against the law.
The military is now doing away with their policy and everyone is making a big deal about it..here is what I know about such a policy…It didn’t work. People who were deemed to be gay (by other mindless fucks) often were hit with blanket parties and other harsh penalties , making their life unbearable at times. And yet, those who served, did so with honor and pride at making a difference in the world. Many of the people are asking..well what about communal showers in the barracks, and “they” look at me…How fucking stupid can some people be? They are already serving with these people who keep their personal lives to themselves and living with them, etc, and yet haven’t attacked their ass yet have they? And as for going to war with them..some of them may have even saved a life or two. I put this all down to ignorance, mainly because I see the resemblance to some of the Jim Crow laws about blacks(I’m going to speak from a southern perspective here because that is where I live and know first hand some of the ridiculousness of such laws). Some of these were enacted, because white people thought of blacks as less than human., they did not matter..black men could not look at a white woman because it would “‘inflame his ardor and he would rape her'”. Bullshit! A man is a man no matter his color, and if he were already a rapist, it would not matter if he were orange. They couldn’t drink out of the same water fountains or use same bathrooms for fear of disease. All based upon ignorance. Luckily, majority of these have long since passed,but the ignorance has not totally abated, because there will always be some who choose to keep it alive. And so it is with people’s sexuality. People are treated as if they have some disease or one can catch being gay from someone. It is better in some areas than others, but still one can see the ignorance that abounds. One woman running for president is connected to a group about “praying away the gay”..WTF…does she not think that god, any god would love someone for who they are? It is nature..study your science..happens even in the wilds of the jungles…people are born that way(love Gaga’s song ). I saw a bumper sticker that made me laugh because it said”If you have a problem with gay people, blame it on the heterosexual couples who keep making gay babies”. I’m all for equal rights for people, including marriage, which I am happy to see is becoming a reality in several places(now if the rest of the country will get their collective asses together, we might have a peaceful way of living). In New York, a couple who had lived together for over 20 years were the first couple to marry. It was sweet to see the picture, of one woman in a wheelchair, her partner pushing her..Imagine, they made a commitment to one another that is hard to equal even in a heterosexual setting. And their joy at being able to be legal, to speak for one another in personal matters such as hospitals, insurance and the other mundane things that we often take for granted was shown upon their faces. I wish them much joy. I almost puked in my mouth though that same day as I saw someone who is running for governor here in Ms, that has an ad of him reading a pretend book to a very young child about how “I believe such and such.”I zoned him out until he reached the part of “I believe that marriage is one man and one woman” Oh my Jebbus…seriously? I hate when people try and trot out their rhetorical version of christianity to win votes..Marriage, by definition is simply a social union or legal contract in which to denote kinship. It provided legal protection for women(who back in the day were treated as chattel), and it wasn’t until the Church got involved that it even began to have a religious connotation. So why would people keep showing their ignorance about such issues? Well for one, it garners them votes from such like-minded people as themselves, Two, it sounds good on the sound bites on television, and Three, they are just ignorant enough to believe the shit that comes out of their mouths.
And then there are the ones who hate everybody outside of the ones who believe like themselves. Everyone is wrong, they are right and you will go to hell if you do not shape up and get with the program. I was reading on The wild Hunt the other day about such a group. They are intent on everyone believeing as they do because essentially the world is going to hell in a handbasket and they can stop it with their “spiritual warfare”. Here is a link to show you what I mean: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2011/07/what-spiritual-warfare-looks-like.html
Unfortunately, this group has been having a major influence on politics. The governor of Texas, Rick Perry is a major player of “The Response” a huge prayer /religious thing that will be happening there soon , taking part himself, and inviting other christian people..no other faith need apply. Why the concern? If we are not concerned enough to speak up against a group that has money, collects political power, and is very vocal in their policies, then we will be no better off as pagans, than the Jews were in the holocaust against Hitler. We have laws on the books, yet do not force the issue against discrimination, bullying, hate crimes because somehow we think if we ignore most of it, it will go away. Wrong..on many levels. If one allows a bully to take over and have what they want..it continues, only growing stronger and bigger. By not speaking up against the ignorance we see displayed against any group, we are saying that we are in acquiescence with our silence. We agree with the train of thought with the bully….that is how dictators are born. They are so vocal, hateful and brutal in their take overs, that people are silent out of fear for themselves, never realizing that together as a group, they hold the power of change. It’s time for people to speak up for those who can’t…take charge of their lives and be bold in the living of it..if you don’t it’s just existing…and demand that respect be shown for ALL people regardless if you agree with their views or not and stop all the ignorant rhetoric. We are ONE race…..HUMAN…now go out and act like it.